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Problems starting, fuel smell

Tiny
NITESHADE
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 TOYOTA RAV4
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
My 1999 Toyota Rav4 has trouble starting, especially on humid days. Engine turns over and usually starts, but hesitates under acceleration. Strong gasoline smell. Allowing car to idle, with mild accelerator pressure (like driving around the block at low speeds) eventually overcomes hesitation. My hunch is that it's something with the fuel injection, perhaps condensation in the fuel lines, or a cracked hose. Any other ideas? How to check?
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Saturday, April 9th, 2011 AT 4:21 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Do you have a check engine light and whane was last tune-up

Check and test the MAF and TPS sensors to include a fuel pressure check
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Saturday, April 9th, 2011 AT 4:28 PM
Tiny
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Thanks for your reply.

No check engine light. Last tune up was last summer.

What's a MAF and TPS sensor?

Pardon me for my ignorance. I'm not averse to car maintenance, but I'm a newbie anyways. Basically, if this is something relatively straightforward, I'll attempt to take care of it myself, but otherwise, this is an attempt to get an idea of a problem before I take it in to a mechanic, who might otherwise sell me a bag of goods.
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Saturday, April 9th, 2011 AT 4:48 PM
Tiny
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So, no ideas re: a preliminary diagnosis? Just looking for some hypotheses. The car was fine today, since it's sunny and dry. Has this ever happened to anyone?
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Sunday, April 10th, 2011 AT 7:14 PM
Tiny
MMPRINCE4000
  • MECHANIC
  • 8,549 POSTS
Could be some random bad gasoline, but since you smell gas, start by inspecting all fuel lines to injectors/fuel rail. If you see no leaks, take it to Toyota and have the EVAP system tested.

EVAP (among other things) vents fuel tank vapors back to intake using a system of solenoids and purge valves. A dealer can test these individually to isolate the problem.
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Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 AT 12:32 PM
Tiny
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Thanks mmprince, this is good, clear advice for this stage. I appreciate it. I'll post here if I have further updates.
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 AT 5:06 AM
Tiny
MMPRINCE4000
  • MECHANIC
  • 8,549 POSTS
Keep us posted.
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 AT 1:10 PM

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